Rhubarb Cherry Crisp

Hi ya'll!

So I'm super excited to be joining in here right as I start pastry school-- simultaneously the best and most ridiculous decision I ever made. We have been going fast fast fast, but we made this really delicious and really simple fruit crisp in class the other day and I wanted to share it.

Truthfully I was a little embarrassed to post this here, because you know, it's a fruit crisp, and aren't I supposed to be tempering chocolate and making massive towering sugar sculptures and whatnot? Well, they won't let us in the chocolate kitchen yet, but more importantly, let's hear it for unpretentious, simple food that may be a little ugly but will blow your mind with some vanilla ice cream. Right? Right.

Rhubarb-Cherry Fruit Crisp
This was originally rhubarb-apple crisp, which makes a lot more sense given the season, but I love cherries. We used frozen fruit but the procedure is the same for fresh.

For the topping:
4 oz cold butter, diced
4 oz brown sugar
4 oz pastry flour
4 oz rolled oats (and/or chopped nuts if you like)
1/4 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon

For the gooey delicious insides:
1 lb diced rhubarb
1 1/2 lbs cherries (or other fruit)
4 oz sugar
1/2 oz cornstarch
1/2 t cinnamon
pinch cloves

Make the topping:
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the cold butter with your hands until the pieces of fat are roughly the size of walnut halves. Add the nuts or oats and set aside.



Make the innards:
Combine dry ingredients in a bowl and toss with the fruit. Arrange in gratins, ramekins, or one big pie dish. Fill them up nice and full and put the tins on a sheet pan covered with parchment. Mine bubbled up a bit (hence the parchment), but your fruit will also shrink a little as it bakes. Cover with the crisp topping.





Bake at 375 for 30-45 minutes, depending on size, until bubbly and golden on top.